Member postings for vic francis

Hi Robin a thoughtful thread! Err yes almost the same , I had found this casing in my Father's Engineering parts, closed at one end and thus it was filled with carefully cut red you caps, the firing pin was filed , from a flat roofing nail, worked incredibly well , the noise was deafening, I can still hear the ringing! But not my Father's words expressing his annoyance....for it was a quiet Sunday.I abandoned that experimentation when it flew past me to close for comfort...

However after seeing plans for a canon, I wondered if the garden tube could work... Embedded in the ground, this it did if secured... A little demon banger dropped in supplied the force, meanwhile corks were raining down on the neighbourhood! In order to work out high they went, one counted 1001 ,1002 ect...before the impact noise was heard.

My attention then turned to the rear gatepost, which had a bigger diameter ! A heavier object was found and tested with multiple little demons ( bangers), a count was made , cripes it did go high, then impact, oh the elderly Mr Partridge's garden shed roof! Unfortunately he was still in it at the time, and he kindly old gent returned it to me ...saying by he had survived one war and did not want to be in another... That concluded the experiment! Experience is a slow teacher.

Vic

Hi Vic, it is a nice idea to use the combo, but it has the flaw that it has no quill fine down feed to control the cutter depth! Unless some form of cutter advancement is possible acting on the quill directly ? Like a leadscrew... Personally buy a old unwanted milling machine ! Dave could be right to buy a hobbymat lathe mill combo if space is tight! Very good machines. Vic

Hi Trevor sent you a person message! Best to avoid the bevel gears...chain drive superior....plus other mods for the atkinson.

regards Vic

Hi Tony, yes I have checked the Les Burford auction catalogue and think it was the Dreweattes Transport sale auction where it first appeared for sale ; they might have records of the seller , who you could contact, but most likely there is no current cert or history... as Paul correctly explains above. Certainly,a rarely modelled engine! So the original builder did his own research and most likely did a good job.

Fingers crossed for you on the test.

regards

vic

S

Hi Tony, Station road steam had a 2 inch Clayton and shuttle worth engine for sale, was it this one you bought? I am sure that was among the auction lots last year, painted brown if I remember rightly?I'll check back.regards Vic

An interesting topic Andrew; lets hope you do actually receive your State Pension!, with the increasing likelihood of A Nuclear exchange between east and west I am not so confident about the Future sadly.

Err can I have it as a lump sum now?

vic

Hi, a there are the two volumes on ebay under steam for sale...

kind regards

vic

Quite right Oilcan! oh and Jerry Kieffer’s workshop has no cnc machines, but have nc readout, I think he also was not Engineered trained... and a lovely guy. I have one of his tiny nut and bolts in a small case.He has made many remarkable models, I often wonder how!

Hi I emailed landylift twice in the past for two different machine moves, and called him, and never received a reply.... not sure I would bother in all honesty. Hard to find reliable guys at times.

Good luck

vic

Hi Neil, Julia Old did a extensive build of one of these engines, doing necessary mods to make the engine work. She is on traction talk forum.The series was published on her web site years ago, not sure if I still have it but I will look. She has gradually moved up in scale to little Samson 6 inch scale engine. So is well qualified. I think this engine is based on the Robey steam wagon.The boilers were good, commercially made, but some of the engineering needs work.This wagon was better than some of the locos, I have the tiger tank.! Made by them which is basic compared to armourtek now.

I think she stiffened the road springs as we lack of ground clearance with driver on it.

Regards

Vic

Fine advice from old mart! Precision models left outside , well I have seen a few suffer this sad fate; the damp shed... perhaps due to various unfortunate circumstances.I have a couple as well; it is the metalwork which needs thought, I wondered about plating , or lacquer coat. I have a gm showmans which had this fate of the damp shed... took alot to get it reasonable, but the metalwork has some staining / pitting ... anyway a coat of lacquer, but what type ? Seen it flake badly in time. What do you chaps think?

keep the good work going Jon!

regards

vic

That is a honest valuation 👍so I would second that Bill! The Royal Chester is finely made, even the padlock! Err spare key anyone??

regards vic

Great work Werner!!

And utube explanation! I wondered why at the rhs end the graph line dips down , and bounces back up... ? What was causing that do you think?

Have you tried this on your Fabulous Fire King Fire Engine yet? With or with out the Turbinators in operation? From the utube videos your machine looked spot on perfect already! Certainly clean running, and long runs!!

Vic

Hi Paul, Thank you for the worrying update as regards Mr Day’s Sentinel; I shall keep a lookout even if it was repainted the high quality of the Sentinel would be hard to disguise. Would Mr Day make another Sentinel to replace? I wonder?I am lost for words about the situation.

regards

Vic

Hi Paul, Thank you for the worrying update as regards Mr Day’s Sentinel; I shall keep a lookout even if it was repainted the high quality of the Sentinel would be hard to disguise. Would Mr Day make another Sentinel to replace? I wonder?I am lost for words about the situation.

regards

Vic

Hi That is sad news; also does anyone know if Mr Day who built the superb 4 inch Sentinel steam waggon( see cover of me 4557) got it recovered,? That was sometime ago ...As I understand it the crooks were definitely professional as it was well secured and in a trailer, front drive ect I can understand that being a professional job and with limited copper value on it, but special built Rare item,but for a Maxitrak r1 with a 70 lb ? copper boiler seems a bit wild... even if it was £2 a lb scrap copper value... it would not add up to a lot... it is a bit confusing really... a worry all the same...perhaps things will get worse now, with economic downturn...?

vic

Hi , well done 👌on moving such a beast! Ok it is a very good thing about spindle breaking in case of the work breaking free; however I would bolt a safety stop fixing on the bed , using more than one tee slot as well... I did see a video ; whereby the long bar material being drilled ( large hole) snagged broke free and hit the operator ,mid torso. Like a scything motion, only stopping when at the main column...Very sadly it was fatal. If he had a mechanical safety stop he would have survived, and bought time... I have seen a few milling damaged tables with tee slots broken, and often wondered what happened....

So safe working and Please show us what work you can do on such a fine versatile machine? Maybe fullsize traction engine parts??

ps it looks more than 1.2 tons!!

Vic

Great work of art ,Richard Forget the mower restoration!let the grass grow long!!

Vic

Hi Danni, Have you the cast iron milling table which bolts to the cross slide? , if so mount your vice on it! Then measure your material diameter, and put it in the vice , put your milling chuck in the mill head and tighten the draw bar. Select the cutter and note the size, so for example two cutting edges for a blind hole for example. Moisten a small strip of rizla paper to the outside of the bar, then start the machine and slowly advance to the outside of the bar, the paper will be caught on the os of the cutter, then all you do is raise the head on the quill handle, retracting the cutter.Zero or note the dial reading on the cross slide,and you need to move 1/2 the diam of your cutter, plus 1/2 the diam of your material diam . Then you will be on the centre line of your material!That is a old fashioned way, but the mounting of a digital display makes light work of it! Even a inexpensive digital calliper display... msg me if you want info ...

ps it is better to mount the work on the table and vice than in the 3j chuck limitations !

regards

vic

Hi there is a mention of a newton coil boiler in a old ME; vol 186 issue 4139 page 129, but unfortunately I dont have that issue to be able to say any more...

regards

vic